People requiring wheelchairs include those affected with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, head injuries, etc. These individuals often suffer from kyphosis, scoliosis, lordosis and other back ailments. One of the most common complaints of wheelchair occupants is that of pain related to their use of a wheelchair. Unfortunately, at least some of the problems faced by wheelchair users are further exacerbated by the failure of current back system designs to properly position a wheelchair occupant.
One problem with current back systems is that they are difficult to install and to remove. Disabled users may need to remove and install the wheelchair back to collapse the wheelchair for storage, such as when the user enters and exits a motor vehicle.
Yet another problem with current back systems is the wide variability between commercially available wheelchairs. In particular, the upright posts of the wheelchair, or canes, often differ in configuration between wheelchairs. Specifically, in the inventor's experience, the canes may vary in diameter between 0.75″ to 1.125″. Additionally, the center to center distance of the canes may vary ±1″ despite the manufacturer's designation. Frequently, the canes may not be perfectly vertical.
An additional problem with current wheelchair back systems is that they are not adaptable to all wheelchairs. For example, some wheelchairs, particularly those for persons having more active lifestyles, have short canes. Therefore, there is little area in which to attach a wheelchair back, which may mean that wheelchair occupants who pursue a more active lifestyle may not be able to take advantage of the positioning benefits offered by a wheelchair having an adjustable back. For example, wheelchairs for patients with special needs often have pneumatic cylinders and/or brake cables that limit the space required for mounting a back adequate to treat the particular patient. Frequently, therapist are required to mount the back support in the way it will fit, as opposed to the optimum fit for a particular user, potentially causing additional injuries to the patient. Additionally, wheelchair occupants, needing their hands for mobility, have little capacity for carrying cargo. Therefore, another problem with current wheelchair back designs is that they leave little room for mounting other carrier accessories such as bags.
Another disadvantage of current wheelchair back systems is that they provide limited adjustability for people of different sizes, shapes and physical needs. For example, a simple sling style wheelchair back provides almost no adjustability. Other wheelchair backs require a four point mounting system, which occupies lots of space along the wheelchair canes as well as limiting the ability of a therapist to position the wheelchair back. Additionally, some wheelchair backs provide limited adjustability, e.g. the wheelchair back can move vertically but has no seat depth adjustment, or the wheelchair back has seat depth adjustment but no angle adjustment.
Therefore, what is needed is a wheelchair back mounting apparatus that is adaptable to wheelchairs having canes with varying diameters and being a wide variety of widths. There is also a need for a wheelchair back mounting apparatus that takes up less space on the wheelchair canes so as to permit the attachment of other items, such as bags. There is also a need to provide a wheelchair back mounting device that provides a wide variety of adjustability so eliminate comprising the users positioning requirements and that it can position all shapes and sizes of people. Lastly, there is a need to provide a wheelchair back that is quickly and easily removable such that the wheelchair back can be removed, and the wheelchair collapsed and stored.